Spreader attachment for fork lift truck



- P ,1958 E. w. SwENsoN 2,829,896

SPREADER ATTACHMENT FOR FORK LIFT TRUCK Filed Nov. 19,1954

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 1958 E. w. SWENSON I 2,829,896

SPREADER ATTACHMENT FOR FORK LIFT TRUCK Filed Nov. 19, 1954 2Sheets-Sheet 2 2,829,896 SPREADER ATTACHMENT FOR FORK LIFT TRUCK EskilW. Swenson, Cherry Valley, Ill. Application November 19, 1954, SerialNo. 470,077 6 Claims. (Cl. 275-2) This invention relates to spreadersand more particular ly to a spreader attachment for a fork lift truck.

An important object of this invention is the provision of a materialspreader arranged to be carried by a vehicle and which can be attachedto and detached from the vehicle without having to manually handle thespreader attachment.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a spreaderattachment for a fork lift truck which is arranged to be elevated by thefork lift structure on the truck and the spreader feed mechanism drivenfrom the ground engaging wheels of the truck when the attachment is inits raised position so that the truck may be easily turned andmaneuvered during the spreading operation.

A further object of this invention is the provision of United StatesPatent 07 a spreader attachment for a fork lift truck in which the liftstructure of the truck is operable to effect connection anddisconnection of the drive for the spreader feed mechanism.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of a spreaderattachment for a fork lift truck which is arranged to support itself inan upright position ready to be picked up by the lift structure on thetruck and transported thereby and which will compactly store a largequantity of material to be spread whereby the spreader attachment may bepositioned at a convenient location ready for use when needed.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a spreaderattachment for a fork hooks at the upper end thereof arranged to supportthe spreader attachment on the fork of the lift truck in drivingengagement with the ground engaging wheels of the truck when the liftstructure is raised and tilted rearwardly of the truck whereby the forksare inclined upwardly and forwardly to thereby maintain the spreader inproper position on the lift structure and in engagement with the groundengaging wheels by gravity.

These, together with various ancillary objects and advantages of thisinvention will be more readily apprecit ated as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description when takenin connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure .l is a fragmentary side elevational view of a lift truck havingthe spreader attachment mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the spreader taken on theplane 22 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the lift truck andspreader illustrating the spreader attachment in 'its storage positionand the lift truck in an approach movement thereto preparatory topicking up the spreader attachment;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the lift truck andspreader. attachment illustrating the spreader attachment being raisedby the lift structure on the truck; i p

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevaticnal view of the lift truck havinglift truck and spreader attachment showing the spreader attachment inits transport position;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the lift truck andspreader attachment showing the spreader attachment in its spreadingposition;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the lift truckand spreader attachment taken on the plane 7-7 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view through the forks on the lifttruck with the spreader attachment mounted thereon and showing a clampfor retaining the spreader attachment in position on the lift structure.

The spreader attachment indicated generally by the numeral 10 isarranged for use with a fork lift truck 11, of conventional.construction, to be picked up and transported by the truck all withoutthe necessity of manually handling the spreader.

The lift truck may be of any of various different constructionspresently being manufactured, and which is general, include a body 12having forward ground engaging wheel 13 and an upright frame 14pivotally connected to the body adjacent the forward end thereof fortilting movement about an axis transverse the body forward and aft ofthe truc The position of the. frame 14 relative to the vehicle may beadjusted in any desired manner and as illustrated in the drawingsincludes a bracket15 connected to the hydraulic ram of an hydraulicallycontrolled apparatus, which apparatus is selectively operable to tiltthe frame forwardly and rearwardly of the vehicle. A fork lift structure16 is vertically movably mounted on the frame and is raised and loweredthereon, as by an hydaulically controlled apparatus (not shown). Thefork lift structure is arranged to use a plurality of differentinstrumentalities, one of which includes a pair of forks 17 which areattached to the fork lift structure for movement therewith and projectforwardly of the frame at substantially right angles thereto. In thetype of lift truck illustrated, the forks 17 are adjustable laterally ofthe vehicle on the ways 18.

The spreader attachment 10 comprises a hopper having a front wall 21 anda rear end wall 22 and opposed side walls 23 secured to the front andrear end walls. As best shown in Fig. 2, the lower end 24 of the frontwall 21 terminates above the lower end of the rear wall and a plate 28,whichforms a continuation of the front wall, has the upper end thereofhingedly connected to the side walls 23 by pins 29. The plate 28 isspaced from the lower edge of the rear wall to provide an openingtherebetween and a feed mechanism 25 is located at the opening fordispensing the material at a controlled rate from the hopper. The feedmechanism may be of any conventional construction and as shown in thedrawings includes a rotary feed member 26 supported on a shaft 27 whichis journaled at its opposite ends in the opposed side Walls 23. Theplate 28 extends alongside the feed member 26 and is adjustable towardsand away therefrom by means of the adjusting bolt 30 to vary the amountof material dispensed, a spring 31 being provided to yieldably retainthe plate in its adjusted position. The feed member is arranged forrotation in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2 to therebydispense material from the hopper between the feed member andthe plate28 at a rate determined by the spacing therebetween and a plate 32 isadjustably mounted on the lower end of the rear wall and arranged toextend closely adjacent to the material therebetween.

The spreader attachment is intended for use in distributing materialsuch as sand, salt, saW dust and the like over sidewalks and area waysin and about factories, and the size of the hopper is made such as tostore a gaging wheel 13 on relatively large quantity of this materialsufficient to permit covering of a large area so as to thereby obviatethe necessity of providing a separate device for storing the material tobe dispensed by the spreader. The spreader attachment is madeself-supporting when not in use and for this purpose the opposed sidewalls 23 are provided with lower end portions 33 which extend below thefront and rear end walls of the hopper and have fiat lower ends 34preferably formed with a reinforcing channel to support the spreader inan upright position on a supporting surface. The spreader may thus bepositioned at any convenient location in or about a factory or the likeand filled with a suitable material to be dispensed so that the spreaderis at all times ready for use when needed.

In order to attach the spreader to the lift truck, a pair of bars 35 and36. are attached to the hopper at the upper end thereof adjacent thefront and rear end walls 21 and 22 respectively by means of straps 37and 38 to provide hooks for engagement with the fork lift structure ofthe truck. The bars 35 and 36 extend crosswise of the hopper parallel tothe front and end walls thereof and are spaced above the upper end 39 ofthe hopper to permit the forks 17' of the lift structure to be insertedtherebelow when the lift truck is advanced onto the hopper from the rearend thereof, as shown in Fig. 3. As best shown in Fig. 7, the straps 37and 38, which respectively connect the several bars 35 and 36 to thehopper, are spaced apart a distance relatively greater than the width ofthe forks 17 and are arranged to engage opposite sides thereof to limitmovement of the spreader laterally of the lift truck. For reasons setforth more fully hereinafter, the bar 35 is spaced relatively furtherabove the upper end 39 of the hopper than is the bar 36.

Provision is made for driving the feed mechanism 25 at a rate correlatedwith the advance of the spreader and for this purpose there is provideda roller 41 which is disposed on a shaft 42 journaled in the dependingportions 33 of the opposing side walls 23. One end of the shaft 42extends through the side wall and is drivingly connected to the shaft 27of the feed member 26. As best shown in Fig. l a sprocket 43 is providedon the projecting end of the shaft 42 and a sprocket 44 attached to theend of the feed member shaft 27, a chain 45 being provided tooperatively connect the sprockets 43 and 44. An adjustable idlersprocket 46 is provided for adjusting the tension on the chain.

The roller may be arranged to extend below the lower ends 34 of the sidewalls and engage the ground as the lift truck is advanced to operate thefeed mechanism at a rate correlated with the advance of the spreader.However, in order to facilitate turning and maneuvering of the lifttruck, when the spreader is mounted thereon, the roller 41 is preferablyarranged so as to be out of contact with the ground when the spreader isin its spreading position shown in Fig. 6. The roller is accordinglylocated above the lower end 34 of the side walls, so as to not contactthe ground when the spreader is in its storage position, and arranged toproject rearwardly from the spreader for engagement with the forwardground enthe lift truck 11 to be driven thereby as the truck isadvanced. As best shown in Fig. 2 the roller is non-rotatably attachedto the shaft 42 and is adjustable therealong by means of a set screw 48to adapt the spreader for use with different types of lift trucks havingdifferent spacing between the front ground engaging wheels.

In accordance with the present invention, the spreader attachment is soarranged that when the upwardly extending frame 14 is disposedsubstantially vertically and the fork lift structure 16 moved upwardlytherealong to raise the spreader, the roller 41 is spaced forwardly ofthe ground engaging wheel and does not contact the same. When the frame14 is tilted rearwardly of the vehicle, and the fork lift structurelowered, the roller then moves into engagement with the ground engagingwheel 13 of the truck to effect driving 0 the spreader feed mechanism.When it is desired to interrupt the feeding from the spreader, it isonly necessary to either elevate the fork lift structure, oralternatively, pivot the frame 14 forwardly to effect disengagement ofthe roller from the ground engaging wheel. This arrangement, by whichthe roller does not engage the ground engaging wheel until the frame istilted rearwardly, is advantageous in that the forks 17, which extendsubstantially perpendicular to the frame 14, are inclined forwardly andupwardly when the frame is tilted rearwardly and consequently, thespreader will be maintained by gravity in position on the forks adjacentthe frame 14. In normal use it is, therefore, unnecessary to provide aseparate apparatus for locking the spreader in position on the forkstructure. However, in the event it is desired to operate the spreaderon steep ramps and the like, a suitable clamp such as the O-clamp 50shown in Fig. 8 may be provided. The C-clamp is detachably secured tothe lift truck forks 17, as by the set screw 51, and arranged to engagethe rear bar 36 of the spreader attachment to thereby prevent thespreader attachment from slipping off the fork lift structure when thetruck descends a steep incline.

From the foregoing it is thought that the operation of the spreader willbe readily understood. Briefly, the spreader is arranged to supportitself in an upright position on a supporting surface, as shown in Fig.3, and the hopper is formed with a sufficiently large capacity to hold alarge quantity of the material to be spread. When it is desired to usethe spreader, the fork lift truck 11 is maneuvered, as shown in Fig. 3,to advance toward the spreader attachment from the rear thereof toinsert the forks 17 through the hooks formed between bars 35 and 36 andthe attaching straps 37 and 38. The fork lift structure is thenelevated, with the frame 14 in an upright position, to lift thespreader-attachment off the supporting surface. As shown in Figure 4,the spreader attachment swings downwardly relative to the fork 17 aboutthe rear bar 36, as the attachment is raised, until the forward bar 35engages the fork. The forward bar thus defines a stop for limitingdownward pivotal movement of the spreader attachment relative to thefork. Thereafter, the frame 14 is tilted rearwardly, as shown in Fig. 5,so that the fork 17 is inclined forwardly and upwardly to therebymaintain the spreader attachment on the fork lift structure by gravity.Since the spreader is raised above the supporting surface and does notcontact the same, the lift truck with the spreader attached may bereadily turned and maneuvered. As best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the bars35 and 36 are spaced different heights above the upper edge 39 of thespreader so that when the frame is tilted rearwardly and the forks 17inclined upwardly, the spreader is supported in a substantiallyhorizontal position.

When it is desired to dispense material from the hopper, the fork liftstructure is lowered as shown in Fig. 6 to position the roller 41 inengagement with the ground engaging wheel 13 of the truck. Preferably,the lift structure is lowered to a position such that the pressureapplied by the ground engaging wheel against the roller tends to pivotthe spreader in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 6 so that theforward bar 35 is spaced slightly above the forks 17 whereby the weightof the hopper and the material contained therein urges the roller 41into driving engagement with the ground engaging wheel 13. Since theroller 41 does not engage the ground it is apparent that the truck andspreader may also be readily maneuvered while spreading material.

After the spreading operation has been completed, the lift truck ismaneuvered to the position from which the spreader was removed and thelift structure lowered to discharge the spreader from the truck. In thismanner, attachment and detachment of the spreader from the lift truckmay be effected without requiring any manual handling of the spreader.

It is also to be noted that the spreader is located in front of thetruck and spreads material in advance of the true Moreover, since thespreader is carried by the truck, the weight of the spreader and thematerial in the spreader increases the pressure applied to the forwarddrive wheels and materially improves the traction of the lift truck.

I claim:

1. In combination with a lift truck having a forward ground engagingwheel, an upwardly extending frame mounted on said truck for fore andaft tilting movement, and a lift structure vertically movably mounted onsaid frame and including a fork extending forwardly thereof,

a spreader attachment comprising a hopper having front and rear endwalls and side walls secured to said end walls, legs on said hopper forsupporting the latter in an upright position when not in use, front andrear hooks on the upper end of said hopper adjacent the front and rearwalls thereof for receiving the fork of the lift structure when thetruck is advanced toward the rear wall of the hopper, said hookssupporting the hopper on the fork when the latter is raised, said fronthook loosely receiving said fork to permit limited relative verticalmovement therebetween, said hopper having a discharge opening therein, afeed member located at said opening for dispensing material from thehopper, a roller mounted on said hopper and arranged to engage saidforward ground engaging wheel when the lift structure is raised and theframe is tilted aft of the truck, and means operatively connecting theroller to the feed member to drive the latter.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the hook adjacent the front wallof the hopper projects relatively farther above the hopper than the hookadjacent the rear wall thereof whereby the hopper is supported in ahorizontal position when the frame is tilted rearwardly of the vehicleand the fork extends forwardly and upwardly.

3. In combination with a fork lift truck having a forward groundengaging wheel, a frame tiltable vertically fore and aft of the truckand a fork lift structure mounted on the frame for movement therealongand including a fork extending transversely to the frame and forwardlythereof, a spreader attachment comprising, a hopper having front andrear end walls having a dispensing opening therebetween and opposed sidewalls secured to the end walls, hooks attached to the upper end of saidhopper and extending thereabove crosswise of the hopper adjacent thefront and rear walls thereof for receiving the fork on the liftstructure to support the hopper thereon when the lift structure israised, the hooks adjacent the front Wall of the hopper extendingrelatively farther above the upper end thereof than the hooks adjacentthe rear wall of the hopper whereby said hopper is supportedhorizontally when the frame member is tilted aft of the vehicle and thefork is inclined forwardly and upwardly, and a roller mounted on saidhopper to engage one of the lift truck having a forframe mounted on thetruck for tilting movement fore and aft of the truck, and a fork liftstructure mounted on said frame for movement therealong and including afork extending transversely to said frame and forwardly thereof, aspreader lift truck having a forframe mounted on the and aft of thetruck, on the frame for movesupporting the hopper in an uprightposition, a rotary feed member located at said opening for dispensingmaterial, hook means adjacent the upper rear portion of said hopper forreceivground engaging wheel when said frame is tilted aft of said truckwhereby to pivot said hopper about said hook means and move said stopaway from said fork and thereby yieldably maintain said roller inengagement with said ground engaging wheel under the weight of saidhopper and the material contained therein, and means operativelyconnecting said roller to said rotatable member for driving the latteras said truck is advanced.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS805,010 Fullilove Nov. 21, 1905 1,606,949 Litchfield Nov. 16, 19261,723,805 Nickerson Aug. 6, 1929 2,413,661 Stokes Dec. 31, 19462,431,589 Shuler Nov. 25, 1947 2,508,345 Hardz et a1. May 16, 19502,696,317 Tofifolon Dec. 7, 1954 2,709,269 Williams May 31, 19552,792,970 Gaiman Mar. 21, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 644,710 Great BritainOct. 18, 1950

